In terms of distance, there were two types of assassination: long-range and close-range.
Long-range assassins could use crossbows or, like how Zhang Liang had assassinated Emperor Qin at the Bolang Sands, a large iron mallet to play with. Alternatively, they could also throw stones down from cliffs. The other types of weapons were close-range.
In terms of methods, they could be divided into wits and brute force.
Brute force was to use spears and daggers, relying on the assassin's skills to force his way through the encirclement and take the enemy's life. Wits could be poison, lassos, and all kinds of disguises to approach the target and strike when they least expect it. One could even tamper with the road, the environment, and the target's means of transportation.
After Yang Fan returned from the bridge, he immediately changed his route and led the Prince of Luling down a different path. But no matter which path he took, his target could only be Luoyang. As a result, along the way, there were endless assassinations, all kinds of assassinations, and even a group of people that didn't look like an assassination but more like a confrontation between two armies.
Yang Fan's party did not have many people and they were protecting an important figure like the Prince of Luling, so they did not dare to take a risk and were forced into a passive position. Once, under the pursuit of a powerful enemy, they were forced to retreat into a county town. After revealing their identity as one hundred cavalrymen to the yamen, they temporarily rested and reorganized. Unexpectedly, they also encountered danger.
First, someone disguised themselves as a courier and poisoned their food. After the matter was exposed, several so-called couriers actually flashed their daggers and charged at the Prince of Luling. Fortunately, after the danger at the bridge, Yang Fan knew that the Prince of Luling's escape had already been discovered and increased his vigilance, preventing the assassins from succeeding.
After an investigation, it was discovered that these assassins had kidnapped the couriers and replaced them. However, the county magistrate, who had hurriedly rushed over, was terrified, begging for forgiveness, and pretending not to know who Mister Lu was. Taking advantage of the absence of the county magistrate and the official registrar, he secretly revealed a piece of information to Yang Fan: The county magistrate was a member of the Wu Clan.
From then on, Yang Fan and his party increased their vigilance. If there was an internal infiltration, it would be even more difficult to guard against than an external enemy. They were unwilling to ask for help from the authorities anymore. Now, the news that the Prince of Luling was on his way back to the capital had probably been heard by all levels of officials through their own channels.
No local official was a monolithic block. If one did not know which official had the backing of the Wu clan, it was better to completely cut off all connections until the Prince of Luling was safely sent to the capital. Thus, this group of people became an isolated army, of running for their lives against the endless enemies of both in the open and in the shadows.
Over the past few days, they had been circling east and west, rushing forward and retreating. They had already lost four of their hundred horsemen, and two of their inner guards had been injured.
In the countryside, insects chirped and the moon was as pale as frost. Others might not be able to see his expression, but Gu Zhuting, who was staying half a foot away from him, seemed to have sensed his thoughts. She suddenly said softly, "Ah Lang doesn't seem to agree?"
Gu Zhuting used to be a female assassin, so she was even more alert than Yang Fan in her sleep. Li Xian's strange cry could wake Yang Fan up, so naturally, it could also wake her up. Yang Fan nodded his head silently. Noticing that she couldn't see his action, he grunted softly and said, "The Crown Prince of the country … sigh!"
Gu Zhuting smiled softly and comforted him softly, "Other than the founding emperor, most of the other emperors grew up in the palace. How strong could they be? You are the one who thinks that because he is the Emperor, you instinctively feel that he should be wiser than everyone else, that his will should be stronger than that of a soldier who has been through hundreds of battles. How is that possible? "
Yang Fan grunted in a low voice and said, "Yes, the Crown Prince can only be from the Wu family or the Li family. After weighing the two, it is better to choose the lesser of the two. An Emperor, even if he is mediocre, it is still better than a tyrant."
Gu Zhuting turned over and lay down, looking at the stars in the sky.
The stars were shining brightly, and thousands of stars gathered together, forming a magnificent celestial phenomenon like a nebula.
Gu Zhuting looked at the stars in the sky and said slowly, "I am from the Cui family of Qinghe. When the Young Master was young, a group of companions of the same age acted as his protectors. Young Master Cui has been intelligent since he was young. When he grew up, he was very dignified in taking care of family affairs, managing external affairs, welcoming guests, and presiding over sacrificial ceremonies.
Ever since he was young, the Young Master had always been the one who received the most praise among his peers. However, such a person had a very ridiculous problem. He couldn't bear the slightest bit of grievance. Even if it was a small matter that misunderstood or wronged him, he would lose control and be so angry that he wanted to cry.
Even if the matter was clarified and people apologized to him, he would still hide in the study and cry silently. He would only calm down after crying for a long time. However, when he came out of the study, he would be the open-minded, cheerful, and generous eldest son of the Cui family. He would never admit that he cried because of a ridiculous little thing. "
"Yes!"
Yang Fan smiled and suddenly thought of Lu Binmi. Famous people and great people all had shortcomings. Sometimes, it really wasn't that the shortcomings of others couldn't be tolerated, but because their status was too high. Therefore, those who couldn't reach their status would wishfully think that they were perfect, and that they had to be perfect.
Yang Fan couldn't help but ask, "Since you were young … you have been practicing martial arts. Then, to protect the head of the family, the important people of the family, or to do something under their orders?"
Gu Zhuting faintly said, "Yes! My family has been a servant of the Cui family since more than a hundred years ago. There were some in the family who were born with weak physiques and couldn't practice martial arts, so they raised horses, drove carriages, planted orchards, or were servants who answered the door. Although practicing martial arts was hard and often didn't have a good ending, after all, when they were alive, their lives would be better, and their status in the family would be higher. People want to go to higher places. Who would be willing to be a lowly slave from birth? "
That night, Gu Zhuting said a lot. Yang Fan had never thought that a bodyguard beside him, a person who was usually ignored by others, would have so many life stories and such deep emotions. Until Yang Fan was sleepy, Gu Zhuting, who rarely spoke her heart, was still in high spirits. Yang Fan didn't want to disturb her mood, so he had to suppress his sleepiness and didn't even dare to yawn.
In truth, with Yang Fan's intelligence, he had already sensed Gu Zhuting's closeness to him, but Gu Zhuting hadn't said anything, so he didn't want to take it a step further. He had Xiaoman and A 'Nu at home, and when he married Wan' er in the future, it was enough to have three lovely wives to accompany him. It was impossible for Taiping to become his wife, even if Li Tang regained his power. He was well aware of this. At most, the two of them could maintain this kind of relationship.
If it wasn't for Li Guoer's initiative on the mountain, if it wasn't for her beauty that made it hard for any normal man to resist, if it wasn't for the fact that he thought Li Guoer was just an ordinary mountain girl, if it wasn't for the fact that he felt that it would be better for him to keep his identity a secret by making this girl his woman, he wouldn't have broken his heart's defenses.
In truth, he was very satisfied with the current situation. He had never been eclectic and had never had the ambition to take in all the beauties in the world like Hu Seiluo. As a result, this paper window had always been stuck there, preventing the two hearts from getting any closer.
The Prince of Luling was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, and he had two more palpitations during the night. As a result, no one slept well.
At daybreak, everyone packed up, ate a simple meal, and continued on their journey. At this time, they had already arrived at the Crouching Bull Mountain Range. After crossing this mountain range, they would enter Duji Province, but they did not take the Luyang Pass. It could be expected that there would be ambushes on the main road.
After discussing with the three leaders, Yang Fan, Xu Liang, Huang Xuchang, and Gao Ying, they decided to take a detour around the mountain road. Although it would be more difficult to travel this way, there were many small roads on the Crouching Bull Mountain. It was impossible for the enemy to send so many people to block every road.
After the plan was decided, they set off. After a day and a half, they arrived at the foot of the Crouching Bull Mountain. There was a small town at the foot of the mountain called Gushui Town. Yang Fan wanted to rest in the town for a night and prepare enough food so that he could go straight through the Crouching Bull Mountain in one go.
Gushui Town was not big, and it was very poor. It was close to the mountain range and was not on the main road. It was difficult for a place like this to develop even after hundreds or thousands of years. The sudden arrival of such a large group of outsiders was a rare thing for the people in the village. Hence, many people came out to see what was going on.
Li Zheng had seen much of the world. He had been to the county and even met the county magistrate. When he heard that outsiders had come, Li Zheng puffed out his chest and came out to greet them. He impatiently scolded, "Go, go, go, go. What are you all doing? Isn't it just a few outsiders? What's there to see? Don't let others laugh at you."
Li Zheng had a lot of authority in the village. Basically, his prestige was similar to that of the Emperor in Luoyang City. It was just that the respect of the villagers was not as complicated as the courtiers'. When Li Zheng shouted, the men, women, adults, and children immediately moved to the left and right.
Li Zheng walked to the front of Yang Fan and the rest. He looked at the tall horses, the long-distance carriages, and the extraordinary bearing of the people leading the horses. Although he still had an arrogant look on his face, his tone became polite, "I am the local Li Zheng. May I know where the guests are coming from, and where are you heading to?"
Yang Fan led the horse forward and said with a smile, "My master is a famous scholar from Qianzhong. He is traveling to the capital."
"From Qianzhong Province?"
Li Zheng looked at him from head to toe and asked, "Why didn't you go through Luyang Pass to Duji Province? Why did you come here?"
Yang Fan said calmly, "My master wants to travel to the mountains and rivers. Naturally, he has to choose the difficult and dangerous path. Otherwise, how could he witness the magnificence of the mountains and rivers with his own eyes. Therefore, he deliberately chose this path. We want to stay here for the night. I wonder if there is an inn in the village. I hope Li Zheng can give us some pointers. "
Li Zheng snorted, "To open an inn in such a place, won't you be so poor that you'll go crazy?"
Yang Fan said, "If that's the case, is there any house that is spacious enough for us to stay in? I hope Li Zheng can give us some pointers. Hehe, no matter which house we stay in, we will not be short of the host's benefits. "
…
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